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They Made HistoryThe Longest NightSurrender?... or Die?This question has been asked of many people, many times, in the course of history. A faith or a fallacy to even consider answering it? Only those who have ever faced that moment can fully comprehend the power and emotion of these three simple words.
One group who were compelled to answer that very question in 73 AD, did so in circumstances that propelled them into martyrdom for an entire race. Their bravery inspired an eventual return to the land that the Jews claimed to be theirs, and still holds an immense significance for the Jewish as an icon for freedom over oppression today. Masada - The StrongholdOverhanging the Dead Sea, perched on a gigantic promontory of rock, stands Masada. The region is inhospitable. Harsh, arid, and stark. The winds whistle down the Great Rift Valley, pulling and pushing the detritous from one piece of dry hard ground to another. Across, on the other side of the lake of salt rests Jordan, oblivious to the passage of time. The wear of two millenia hasn't yet entirely defeated the ancient fortresses aching wall's. With the sun scorching down, it isn't difficult whilst sitting in the welcoming shade of this facade, for the memory to conjure up the tragic events that occured in this region. The first construction on this plateau of red rock was erected circa 200 BC, but it took the might of the famous King Herod to develop it into the impressive fortress it became a century later. He built walls all around the plateau, ordered the construction of towers, living quarters, storerooms and erected a very efficient aqueduct system that brought water from the nearest wadi to 12 large cisterns that were carved out the rock within the walls. For his amusement, he also had built 5 palaces, and a magnificent villa with 3 levels that hung clear over the abyss. Happy in his legacy, the King Herod thought that there was a place that the whole world could marvel at, and felt he and his people would be safe from harm. Herod never did come to harm in his reign over Masada. The ensuing events took place 75 years after his death. The Roman OffensiveIn 70 AD, the Roman Emperor Titus ordered the destruction of Jerusalem. Quite rightly fleeing for their lives, a large group of Jewish Zealots, lead by Elazar ben Ya?r, fled to Masada, Here they quickly overthrew the small roman guard that protected the city, and decided to carry on fighting for the freedom of the Jews from the Roman tyranny. Rome, keen to quash any dissidents with a firm and unforgiving hand, set forth the Roman General Flavius Silva with a mission to mercilessly cruch any resistance he found in the holy lands. Armed with a legion of dedicated troops, and tens of thousands of war prisonners to carry food, water and lumber, he marched on the Jewish stronghold, Masada. With time to prepare, and a virtually unassailable position within the fortress, the Jewish patriots easily repelled the firts Roman offensive. Probably realising that an all out attack was a fruitless proposition, the general decided that his best option was to lay a long siege of the city and hope that he could starve out the enemy. To this end, he established base camp at the foot of the promontory, and initiated work on a large stone ramp that would eventually have a tower built upon it to reach over the city walls. This work took almost a year, as day after day the tower grew little by little. The rebels patiently watched the work being carried out beneath them, and prepared their appropriate response. When the romans finally reached the level, they were astounded to find that the enemy had simply built a new interior wall at the point where they were going to attack! This, of course, did not amuse Flavius Silva one little bit. Being a man of intelligence, he inspected the wall himself, and weighed up the options. The wall did indeed block his path of attack. However, much to his pleasure, and to the chagrin of the rebels, the only material that they had found to erect the wall with was wood. Preparing his best troops, the general had the wall set alight, and then launched his men into the breach. The rebels panicked and thought that the end was nigh. Amazingly, Providence smiled on the patriots at this juncture. The wind, wich had hither to been blowing North, switched direction towards the South, and pushed the fire off in the direction of the attacking troops. Now it was the romans turn to panic, as their only means of support on the wall, the tower, was in very real danger of being engulfed in the fire that they had started! The romans were in retreat when the wind again changed direction. This time it blew with increased force onto the wall, finally decimating the remnants of all that stood between the opposing warriors. The romans interpreted this as a good omen for them, and returned to their camp in good heart. Tomorrow at dawn the battle would be joined, and they were going to be victorious! 960 Jewish people were living in Masada, and the city which had until now been their home and protector had suddenly become their prison. Everyone was aware that now the final layer of defence had fallen, the romans would be coming at first light the next morning. They were ridiculously outnumbered, and had no escape route. Time to ChooseSurrender?... or die?Elazar ben Ya?r knew what to expect from the romans after capture, and adressed his people: "Let our wives die before they are abused, and our children before thay have tasted of slavery; and after we have slain them, let us bestow that glorious benefit upon each other." A night of painful, heart-rending discussion followed. At the end, it was decided that 10 men would be chosen to slay all the others. From these 10 men, one would kill the remaining, and then finally execute himself. At dawn the next day, Flavius Silvas troop's poured into the city and met... silence. Strewn around them lay the dead bodies of there enemies. Men, women, and children swathed in blood, a testament of the desire to be free, above all else. This episode marked the end of independence for the Jews until the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Recently, people have begun to question the value of this example. Is suicide really a symbol of victory? Can anything really be gained from wholesale slaughter? self-inflicted or pre-meditated?, would they ask. How much of Masada is legend? In the 1960's, archeologists discovered elements of proof confirming certain assertions made in the bible. Along with this, 25 skeletons were exhumed in a cave near the summit, wich corroborated an account left by 7 Zealots who survived the tragedy. by: Marijo Israel Government Tourist Office
Israel Government Tourist Office
Israel Government Tourist Office
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